Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office
Salary

Most Dental Office Receptionists in the United States are women. The workforce as a whole earns a median of approximately $14.32 per hour. Total cash compensation to Dental Office Receptionists bottoms out near $21K and approaches $42K on the high end; the biggest paychecks include approximately $1K from bonuses and almost $19K from profit sharing. Career length and the particular city each impact pay for this group, with the former having the largest influence. Roughly one in three enjoy medical while more than two-fifths get dental coverage. Vision coverage is also available to nearly one-tenth. Job satisfaction is reported as high by the vast majority of workers. The numbers in this rundown were provided by PayScale's salary survey participants.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Job Description for Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office

The dental office front desk receptionist is the first person that clients see when they visit or call the dental office. The receptionist does vital work with scheduling, records handling and entry, correspondence, verifying insurance eligibility, and facilitating records requests.

The front desk receptionist works with the dentists and assistants to ensure that scheduling proceeds in an effective manner. The receptionist directs arriving patients to waiting areas, and updates them on any expected waiting times. The receptionist also processes records and information filled out by patients and enters these into a computer database. The receptionist also works to verify all insurance eligibility as presented by patients who are to be seen by the dentists. Additionally, the receptionist will likely be the person called upon to provide insurers with any necessary records to verify procedures and findings by the dentist. Finally, the receptionist handles much of the scheduling for the office. She or he deals with incoming phone calls and directs inquiries appropriately. The front desk receptionist processes all incoming mail and directs it to appropriate personnel as required.

To work in this profession, a person usually needs a high school diploma or equivalent; there is some vocational education and job placement offered by some training schools, which may be beneficial or preferred. A receptionist must be organized and have strong phone and computer skills. He or she must be patient, understanding, and act as a pleasant and welcoming presence in the office.

Common Career Paths for Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office

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Dental Office Receptionists may go on to top-notch roles like Dental Hygienist, where median pay is $64K annually. An Office Manager of a Dental Office or a Dental Receptionist is a typical transition from a Dental Office Receptionist role.

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Popular Skills for Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Survey results suggest that Dental Office Receptionists use a fairly large toolkit of professional skills. Most notably, skills in Accounts Receivable, Collections, Billing, and Insurance are correlated to pay that is above average, with boosts between 6 percent and 10 percent. Skills that are correlated to lower pay, on the other hand, include Spanish Language. Most people familiar with Customer Service also know Insurance.

Pay by Experience Level for Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

For Dental Office Receptionists, experience does not seem to be a major factor in determining pay. Salaries of relatively inexperienced workers fall in the neighborhood of $26K, but folks who have racked up five to 10 years see a notably higher median of $32K. Dental Office Receptionists bring in $35K after working for 10 to 20 years. Veterans who have surpassed the 20-year mark may make only slightly more than those who are navigating the mid-career stage; the more senior group reports median earnings of around $37K.

Pay Difference by Location

San Francisco offers some of the highest pay in the country for Dental Office Receptionists, 22 percent above the national average. Dental Office Receptionists will also find cushy salaries in Tulsa (+17 percent) and San Diego (+6 percent). Houston is the lowest-paying area, 12 percent south of the national average. Lancaster and Chattanooga are a couple other places where companies are known to pay below the median — salaries are 12 percent lower and 9 percent lower, respectively.

Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office Reviews

What is it like working as a Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office?

Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office in Westfield:

"Good."

Pros: Very interesting to learn about the types of orthodontic problems.

Cons: We need to know what everyone does and no one has a set job position.

Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Office in Bluffton:

"Dental Receptionist."

Pros: I love interacting with people; figuring out conflicts and problems make my job worthwhile. Also, fixing people's smiles and getting them out of pain is always rewarding.

Cons: I hate sitting down all the time. And oftentimes there is a lull in work to be done.